PresidentSnowwasborninOhio,April3,1814.Whileyetayoungman,hewenttoKirtland,wherehebecameacquaintedwiththeProphetJoseph.JoiningtheChurch,he wassooninthefieldasamissionary,travelingthroughtheStatespreachingthegospel. FromNauvoo,hewentonamissiontoEngland,returningin1843withalargecompany ofSaints.HewasordainedamemberoftheTwelveApostles,February12,1849,atSalt LakeCity.ShortlyafterwardshewascalledonamissiontoItaly.Hislabors,however, werenotconfinedtothatcountry,asheorganizedmanybranchesoftheChurchinother Europeanlands In1853,PresidentSnowremovedtoBrighamCity,whereformanyyearsheunitedthe peopleinasystemofco-operation,whichrapidlybuiltupthecountry.Atthecompletion of the Salt Lake temple he was called to preside in that sacredbuilding.

ThoughsofaradvancedinyearswhencalledtostandattheheadoftheChurch, President Snow was quite strong in body and in mind. During the summer of 1899, witha partyofApostlesand,otherleadingmen,hevisitedmanyofthestakesofZionintheirconferencegatherings.PresidentSnowsaidhehadaspecialmessagetodelivertothe Saintswhichwasthattheyshouldinthefuturemorefullyobservethelawoftithing.This lawhadbeenneglectedinthepast,butnow,theProphetsaid,theLordexpectedthe Saintstoobservethiscommandment.ItispleasingtostatethatmostoftheSaintsheeded thetimelyinstructionandwarning,andtherewasgreatimprovementinkeepingthislaw of theLord.

WhenPresidentSnowtookchargeoftheaffairsoftheChurch,itwaslargelyindebt, owingtothetroublesincidenttotheconfiscationofitspropertybythegovernmentsome timebefore.Now,becauseoftheimprovementinthepaymentoftithesandofferings,the FirstPresidencywereabletopaysomeofthedebtsoftheChurch,andmake arrangements for the payment of others as they becamedue.

PresidentSnowputnewlifeintomanydepartmentsoftheChurch.TheSchoolsystem whichtheChurchhadestablishedreceivedmuchattention.TheLatter-daySaints' UniversityatSaltLakeCitywasestablished,andoneofitsbuildingswaserected.Many other Church buildings were planned andbegun.

Atanelectionheldinthefallof1898,BrighamH.RobertswaselectedtorepresentUtah inCongress.Atthiselectionthepeople,astheyhaddonemanytimesbefore,votedas eitherDemocratsorRepublicans,andboth"Mormons"andnon-"Mormons"wereelected tooffice.Now,however,someanti-"Mormon"newspapers,assistedbymanyoftheUtah sectarian preachers, made a great stir. The enemies of the Saints continued to send aflood offalsehoodalloverthecountry.Muchexcitementwasworkedupandadetermined effort was made to keep Utah's representative out ofCongress.

RepresentativeRobertsfoughtbravelyforhisownandhispeople'srights,butoncemore hatredagainst"Mormonism"overcamebetterjudgment,andhewasrefusedadmissiontothe seat to which he was fairly elected, on the ground that he had obeyed the law ofplural marriage.

August19,1899,theUtahvolunteersreturnedfromthePhilippineswheretheyhadprovedthemselvesvaliantsoldiersintheserviceoftheircountry.Agrandcelebration was held in Salt Lake City in theirhonor.

PresidentSnowdiedafterabriefillnessathishomeinSaltLakeCity,October10,1901. HewasnotpresidentoftheChurchlong,butduringthethreeyearsofhispresidency,the Lord blessed him and gave him power to do muchgood.

Fourdaysbeforehedied,PresidentSnowaddressedtheSaintsassembledinconference intheTabernacleatSaltLakeCity.Theburdenofthis,hislastmessagewas,"Godbless you."Heurgedthepresidentsofstakesandthehighcounselorstotakeuponthemselves moreoftheresponsibilityoflookingaftertheaffairsoftheChurch,sothattheTwelve could devote their time to their special work of preaching thegospel.

QuestionsandReview.—1.WhoconstitutedthefifthPresidencyoftheChurch?2.TellwhatyoucanaboutLorenzoSnow.3.Whatisthelawoftithing?4.Whatmessagedid PresidentSnowdeliverregardingthelawoftithing?5.WhywastheChurchindebt?6. Who opened the Japanesemission?